aliway

1. pagsuway

"...bakit ngayon lang kayo? Kanina pa ako ikot ng ikot dito a. Tapos, di nyo naman sinasagot yung mga tawag at message ko? Ano ka ba naman Yaya, diba dapat lagi kang may dalang powerbank? Ikaw naman Maria Riza Kristina, papalitan ko na yang wheelchair mo na may remote control na ako lang ang may access sa controls e. Wala ka na talagang pakialam sa akin? Sa amin? Gusto mong mapadali buhay mo, go!" Chuck rattled on as his sister, Riza, and her Yaya/caregiver, Pat, got into the car.

"...It was better when I was with Mama and Papa in the States..." Riza sulked in the back of the car.

"Shh! Wag ka na magsalita dyan..." Pat reprimanded her. "Kung di dahil sa yo, di tayo ma-l-late..."

"...but she's so pretty Yaya! I wish I could meet her..."

"Hala! Paano?"

"...nagmadali akong tapusin yung meeting ko just to be here on time...sa susunod, di na kita papayagan pumunta sa mall!" Chuck continued as he got into the car after putting Riza's wheelchair in the trunk. "...the last time I allowed you to spend a few more minutes in the mall, what happened? Do you want to stay in the hospital again?"

"No..."

"Then, please..." Chuck said firmly. He gripped his hands on the steering wheel and stepped on the gas pedal as soon as the light turned green.

Many long minutes of silence and while stuck in traffic, "...sir..."

"...ikaw Yaya, alam mo naman kung gaano ka-delikado yung kalagayan ng alaga mo..."

"Sir..."

"...tapos kukunsintihin mo pa...kumpleto pa ba yung mga gamot nyo?"

"Opo...eh sir..."

"Ano?" Chuck annoyingly replied while looking at the rearview mirror.

Yaya was holding a blood-stained diaper against Riza's nose. Chuck immediately turned on the hazard lights of his car and drove straight to the emergency room.

---

"...what happened?"

"Sinundo ko lang sa mall...pauwi na sana kami...Anton, pare, do whatever needs to be done. Please!"

"I will try..."

"Pare..."

"You know na hindi ko pababayaan yung kapatid mo...she's almost like a little sister to me, too..."

---

"Paging Dr. Faulkerson, to hematology please...Dr. Faulkerson to hematology please..."

"...Anton..." Chuck says as soon as he enters the door of the conference room. Dr. Anton Jimenez is his friend and Riza's pediatrician. Aside from Anton, a female doctor is reading from the same chart Anton is looking at.

"...Chuck...this is Dr. Alexandra Lopez...Alex, Dr. Richard Faulkerson..." Anton turns and looks at Chuck. Chuck approaches and Anton introduces the Alex to Chuck.

"Chuck..." Chuck replies. He shakes her hand firmly then puts his hands on his waist.

"Alex..."

"...let's sit down..." Anton says, pulling a chair for Alex. Chuck walks to the opposite side of the conference table.

"...what's your prognosis? This is about Chichi, right?"

"...yes..." Anton replies. Chuck notices a tinge of hesitation on Anton's face and voice.

"...lumala?"

"...I've read her charts and history and she was diagnosed with ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia)..."

"...at eight years old...they were very aggressive with her treatment and chemo..."

"...and she became cancer-free..." Alex read the chart in front of her.

"...after over a year of intensive treatment..." Chuck said.

"...her records say that she's not fully under remission yet...a lot of ALL patients are declared in remission if they surpass five years without the symptoms...unfortunately..." Alex said softly as she looked at Chuck.

Chuck dropped his head on his hands. "...how long?"

"...I still want to run a few more tests and a bone marrow aspiration but the way the symptoms are returning aggressively now, I'd say about a year...or less..." Alex said.

Chuck took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. "Do whatever you can to save her..." he said.

---

"...Kuya..." Riza said softly. She was admitted to the hospital after her excessive nosebleeding episode. She had gone through 4 bags of blood and was very weak and pale. "...it's back...my cancer is back..."

"...yes...it is..."

"I'm sorry..."

"It's not your fault..."

"...I shouldn't have stayed at the mall longer than the time we agreed on...I was...I was already feeling tired but I wanted to see her..."

"Her?"

"...Dei...Dei Angelica..."

"Who is she?"

"She's one of Philippine showbiz's greatest stars...she's so pretty, Kuya...she's funny and a good actress, too...I wish..."

"What?"

"I wish I could meet her..." Riza said. She closed her eyes and fell asleep in Chuck's arms.